Houston gasoline prices unchanged as U.S. average rises slightly

The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. rose one cent last week. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

The long slump in Houston gasoline prices may finally be flattening out. Average prices in the area hung at $2.17 per gallon on Sunday, the same price as a week prior.

The national average increased almost 1 cent per gallon over the week to $2.37 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

“The first week of the summer driving season is now under our belts, and we saw little change in gas prices nationally,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.

Houston gas prices are low in comparison to a normal year, during which prices rise as the summer driving season approaches. The Houston average fell 6 cents per gallon over the last month.

The national average, however, has begun creeping up. It’s now increased almost 2 cents over the last month and stands a half-cent per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

Average gasoline prices in Houston stood at $2.12 per gallon one year ago, $2.50 per gallon on this date in 2015, and at $3.42 per gallon in 2014.

OPEC’s oil production cuts didn’t impress the market, DeHaan said, keeping oil prices low. That, he said, “keeps the door propped open for gasoline prices to remain at historically low levels as millions of Americans take to the road.”